Over the past few days, I had the privilege of traveling to Jakarta with our senior pastor, Rev. Hong Yujian, from the Baptist Church of the Faith in North America, to attend the International Gospel Conference organized by Stephen Tong Evangelistic Ministries International (STEMI) at the Millennium Center in Jakarta. Rev. Hong was invited as one of the speakers to share God’s Word at the conference.

Although the four-day conference has now concluded and we are set to return to Vancouver tomorrow, I find myself unable to fall asleep tonight—not because of jet lag, but because I am still processing all the messages and experiences from these past few days.

The example and testimony of Rev. Stephen Tong remain vividly in my mind. What I feel most deeply is shame—ashamed that, though still young, I seem to have lost my zeal and hope for the gospel; ashamed that, at my age, I often feel tempted to “lie flat” and take it easy; ashamed that, though still young, I am not as diligent as I ought to be in serving the Lord.

I remember one afternoon in Rev. Tong’s office when Rev. Hong introduced me as a young pastor newly joined to our church. Rev. Tong looked at me with earnest eyes and said, “Young man, serve diligently—do not be lazy.” Then he asked, “How many children do you have?” I replied, “Four.” He looked at our children’s photos for a long time, then asked, “Only one son? That’s not enough—you need to have more sons so there can be more pastors to serve the Lord in the future.”

I know that I cannot ask God for the same talents, fruitfulness, and gifts that He has given to Rev. Tong. But my prayer is that God would give me his heart—a heart that labors diligently for the Lord, holds nothing back, and is even willing to die for Him. Especially in the context of serving among North American Chinese churches, and particularly among the younger generation, I long for that same spirit.

Courage, diligence, and faithfulness—these are the lessons I have learned over these four days.

During the conference, I met many new friends and coworkers in Christ, as well as many online acquaintances I had never met in person before. Most of them are pastors from various Reformed evangelical churches around the world. It was a tremendous joy to fellowship and share face-to-face with them. In North America, the Reformed Chinese community can feel quite lonely, yet these past few days I felt surrounded by happiness—seeing how God has raised up so many young Reformed pastors in Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore, all laboring together for the cause of the Reformed Gospel movement. Though separated by oceans, we were able to gather as one family in Christ. What an immense grace and blessing that is!

The worship, the notes I took, and all that I heard will take time to digest. But the movement of the Holy Spirit—His conviction, urging, reminder, rebuke, and encouragement—has been so real, so vivid, and so powerful!

Originally Published on  Gospel Herald Chinese 基督日報